American rapper Nicki Minaj and R&B sensation SZA were embroiled in a messy social media spat this week, with SZA publicly revealing she had turned down collaboration requests from Minaj on two occasions.
The feud, which played out across X (formerly Twitter), began after Minaj launched a tirade on Tuesday night, targeting Terrence “Punch” Henderson, President of Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) and SZA’s former manager.
Minaj accused Henderson of “bullying” her following alleged rejections of business propositions.
Nicki . You absolutely know my music and what I contribute cause you’ve asked for features twice to no response . In addition to rapping my lyrics on feeling myself “Cooking up the bass looking like a kilo”? Lol ur having a moment ..im not sure why but be blessed
Shortly after Minaj’s tweets, SZA — who parted ways with Henderson in late 2024 — posted a seemingly unrelated message, warning, “Mercury retrograde… don’t take the bait lol silly goose.”Though SZA did not name anyone, Minaj interpreted the message as a veiled dig and responded aggressively.
“Go draw your freckles back on bookie… Sounding like a dead dog,” Minaj tweeted, while accusing SZA of being “ugly” and a “liar.”
SZA, known for her low-drama public persona, broke her usual silence to respond.
In a calm yet pointed clapback, she criticised Nicki for downplaying her and posted seeming evidence of a rejected collaboration.
“Nicki. You absolutely know my music and what I contribute cause you’ve asked for features twice to no response. In addition to rapping my lyrics on ‘Feeling Myself’—‘Cooking up the bass looking like a kilo’? Lol ur having a moment… I’m not sure why but be blessed,” SZA wrote.
